Two persons including a 35-year-old moulvi of a madrasa were charred to death while hundreds of people escaped narrowly when a fire broke out in a four-storey building due to suspected electric short-circuit in Vinayaka Nagar on Mysuru road on Friday afternoon.
One of the victims is Abdul Hafeez, moulvi of Arabia Zia-ul-Quran situated on the first and third floor of the building. The other victim is Mehtab (27), a native of Delhi and labourer working in a foam-based chair manufacturing unit located on the ground floor of the building.
The owner of the building, Ibrahim Kaleemulla, who was living with his family on the second floor, was rescued by the neighbours and fire and emergency service personnel.
According to the police inflammable material was stored in the furniture unit on the ground floor.
The narrow Vinayaka Nagar 2nd Cross was busy with people heading towards a madrasa for Friday prayers when Mohammed Zubair, an autorickshaw driver, noticed thick smoke billowing out from the ground floor of the building. He raised an alarm, prompting others to rush to the spot and evacuate the building. Six fire tenders came and doused the fire. Ten persons including four children and three women who were stuck in various parts of the building were rescued. Over 100 persons present in the madrasa were also evacuated.
